DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Iwai et al (US 20200101889).
Regarding claim 1, Iwai et al (US 20200101889). Iwai teaches a lamp device (fig 2) comprising: a housing which is an attachment portion to a vehicle (fig 1b and fig 2); a lamp unit (fig 2, items 20a, 21a, and 22a); a radar unit including an antenna that transmits a radar wave and receives a reflected wave from an object (fig 2, item 10 and para 86); a light-transmitting cover that is attached to cover a front side of the housing so as to accommodate the lamp unit and the radar unit in an internal space thereof, the light-transmitting cover transmitting the radar wave (fig 2, item 20a); and an extension disposed in the internal space of the housing, the extension including an electromagnetic-wave absorber (fig 18, item 114d), wherein at least one of a rear part and a side part of the housing is configured as the electromagnetic-wave absorber (fig 18, item 114d),
Regarding claim 2, Iwai teaches the extension is formed of an electromagnetic-wave absorbing material (para 164 and 166).
Regarding claim 7, Iwai teaches the extension is configured as an integral electromagnetic-wave absorber extension surrounding the radar unit (fig 18, item 114d).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwai as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nagano (US 20210194147).
Regarding claim 3, Nagano teaches the electromagnetic-wave absorbing material is a resin including carbon (para 6). It would have been obvious to modify Iwai to include the electromagnetic-wave absorbing material is a resin including carbon because it is merely a substitution of the radar absorbing material of Iwai for the radar absorbing material of Nagano to yield a predictable radar/ headlight combination device.
Regarding claim 4, Nagano teaches the extension is formed of an extension member made of resin (para 6). It would have been obvious to modify Iwai to include the extension is formed of an extension member made of resin because it is merely a substitution of the radar absorbing material of Iwai for the radar absorbing material of Nagano to yield a predictable radar/ headlight combination device.
Regarding claim 4, Iwai teaches an electromagnetic-wave absorbing material disposed on a rear surface of the extension member (fig 18, item 114d).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwai as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Maruyama et al (US 20220316678).
Regarding claim 6, Maruyama teaches the extension is disposed to surround the radar unit from four sides of left, right, top and bottom of the radar unit (para 32). It would have been obvious to modify Iwai to include the extension is disposed to surround the radar unit from four sides of left, right, top and bottom of the radar unit because it would absorb all the electromagnetic waves emitted from a receiver.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY A BRAINARD whose telephone number is (571)272-2132. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Kelleher can be reached at 571-272-7753. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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TIMOTHY A. BRAINARD
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3648
/TIMOTHY A BRAINARD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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